[FIC] Love and Sex 6/8
Title: Love and Sex
Author: Clay
Pairings: Mainly Chip/Wayne and Chip/Drew, but there’s also Wayne/Drew, Ryan/Colin, Greg/Brad, and a mention of Greg/Ryan. Yes, my little Whose Line soap opera. Chip’s POV
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 over all, but most chapters are just R
Summary: “They had been friends who had taken to helping each other out with certain problems when they were away from their wives. Add feelings to the mix, however, and the situation would become far more complicated.”
Author’s notes: This is a little AU in the fact that Greg isn’t married and Chip is but has no children.
Drew stood in the doorway illuminated by the moon. A range of emotions flashed across his face in the matter of a few seconds: shock to anger to sadness to something I couldn’t quite identify, all ending up with him looking rather resigned.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Wayne and I were staring at him, immobile. We couldn’t seem to make ourselves do or say anything. With a deep sigh, Drew turned to go.
“Wait ” Wayne called out, leaping off the bed. “It’s not what you think.”
It was cliched, true, but cliches are cliches for a reason.
Drew spun around to face him, and I could see the anger back in his eyes. “So you didn’t come here to fuck Chip?”
“No-well, okay... it’s exactly what you think.” Wayne was facing away from me, but I could hear the smile in his voice as he attempted the rather lame joke. “But nothing happened,” he hurried on, “and nothing was going to.”
“Yeah right,” Drew huffed and took off down the hall.
Wayne started after him immediately. He disappeared from view, but was back a second later, poking his head through the door to tell me, “We’ll talk about this later.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Fine. Just go ” More than anything, at that moment I just wanted Drew to be okay. I needed to know we weren’t going to hurt him again.
I was upstairs, and Drew and Wayne had been sleeping on the first floor, so after Wayne pounded down the stairs, I couldn’t hear any more of the conversation. I did hear the front door open and close a few times and wondered what that meant, but despite my curiosity I found myself dozing again. Before I knew it, I was asleep.
I had no more dreams that night. I awoke with the late morning sun in my eyes and blinked drowsily up at the ceiling, noting with some amusement the stickers of unicorns and rainbows that dotted the ceiling. It was a few minutes before the extent of last night’s happenings came rushing back: Wayne, our talk, and then Drew bursting in. I sat up immediately. I had to find out what had happened.
A note on the bedside table caught my eye as I sprang out of bed. It was in Ryan’s handwriting and addressed to me. It said that he, Colin, Drew and Wayne had already left for the studio, and that I should make myself at home. There was food in the fridge, and I was welcome to it and to stay as long as I liked.
That answered one question at least: Drew had stayed the night. With so many comings and goings I hadn’t known what to think, but apparently Wayne had convinced him to stay. This put me quite at ease.
Now that I was more relaxed, I took my time leaving the bedroom. In the light of day, the collection of stuffed animals seemed far less foreboding. I remembered my insane little dream, feeling foolish. I dressed slowly, and just as I was finishing up, someone called my name.
I slung my overnight back over my shoulder and made my way to the stairs. Brad was waiting at the bottom.
“You finally up?”
The buttery scent of pancakes was wafting up the stairs. I smiled at Brad and nodded.
“Good. We made breakfast. Come join us.”
“Breakfast?” I heard Greg call from the kitchen. “More like lunch. It’s almost noon.”
“The first meal of the day is always breakfast, “ Brad countered as I followed him into the kitchen. Greg was seated at the island, knife and fork already in hand. A second and third plate were set out as well, so Brad and I each took up a stool and dug in.
I found I was far hungrier than I had imagined. I hadn’t had much to eat at the party, so my last meal had been nearly 24 hours prior. Even if that was the reason, the pancakes were still damn good.
“Anyone have any plans for the day?” Brad suddenly asked around a mouthful of dough and syrup.
Greg shrugged. He pushed the remains of his breakfast around his plate, obviously full. “I was thinking about doing some shopping.”
Brad frowned. “That’s boring. We should go bowling or something.”
“I’m up for anything... as long as it involves avoiding Drew and Wayne,” I put in.
That got a reaction. I knew it would. That’s what I was going for after all. I was aching to discuss last night’s revelations, and since Brad and Greg had already played confidante to my problems at the beginning, they seemed like a perfect choice now.
Greg lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? I take it something happened after lights out?”
I nodded. I had finished my pancakes and was eyeing Greg’s leftovers greedily. He passed them over and I accepted them while considering where to begin. “Wayne came to see me last night,” I said eventually, “to, well... you know. But we didn’t. Actually, we got to talking and he wants me to hook up with Drew.”
“Well, that’s...” Brad frowned. “That’s weird.”
“Mm.” Greg nodded slowly. He was watching me with narrowed eyes. “Why would he want that?”
I didn’t fault the guys for their confusion. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in the situation myself, I wouldn’t have understood it either.
“What it comes down to,” I said slowly, trying to recall the conversation, “is that he wants to break it off with Drew but doesn’t want Drew to get hurt.”
“So he wants to pawn him off on you?” Brad asked incredulously.
“It’s not like that,” I protested. “I think I might, ah, kind of like Drew... like that. And for some reason Wayne thinks Drew might feel the same way, but I don’t see it.”
Greg smirked. “The plot thickens. Interesting.” He leaned forward, chin propped up in one palm. “So why are you telling us?”
“Because....” Why was I telling them? “Because I don’t know if we should go through with it. And if we do, then how? It all seems so devious.”
“The best plans usually are,” Greg replied, still smiling. He straightened then, suddenly becoming business-like. “So, do you like Drew?”
“I don’t know ” I pushed my plate away, exasperated and suddenly no longer hungry. “We have fun together... and I liked kissing him... I... is that enough?”
“Well you’re not going to know until you give it a try,” Brad pointed out.
“But what if it doesn’t work out?”
Greg sighed, watching me curiously. “That’s the hard part. The real question is: is it worth the risk?”
That was what it came down to, and I had no idea how to answer. After all, this thing with Drew could be a passing fancy. Not to mention the fact that I was pretty much on the rebound, and if I did hook up with Drew, he would be, too. It wasn’t the best of circumstances to begin a relationship.
“I have no idea.”
Greg nodded. “Think about it. If you decided you want to go for it, we’ll back you up.”
“Actually,” Brad said, “I’m leaving on Monday, so I won’t be of much help. But,” he smiled, “if there’s anything I can do while I’m here, I’d be happy to help.”
“Right.” Greg jumped to his feet. “Enough of this. Let’s go bowling.”
So we did. The three of us left Ryan’s house soon after breakfast, making sure to clean up before we did. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and having fun. After bowling we returned to Greg’s room at the hotel to watch an absolutely horrid comedy, and while I definitely enjoyed myself, I often found myself thinking that I’d rather be with Drew-not that I didn’t like hanging with Brad and Greg. I think I just missed him. I missed the sound of his laughter and the way a whole room lit up when he smiled.
That’s it,” I cried suddenly, startling Brad and Greg.
“What’s it?” Brad asked. He looked from me to the television and back again.
“Not the movie. I’ve made a decision. I want to go through with it. I want to seduce Drew.”
Greg smirked at me. “You got it. Have a plan?”
“No... but I’ll think of something. Tomorrow night after the taping I’ll talk to Wayne and we’ll work it out together.”
When the next morning dawned, I was feeling absolutely fantastic. Everything seemed to be falling into place, and besides, I got to go play with my friends today.
I caught a cab to the studio, but the passing scenery barely registered. I was deep in thought throughout the ride as well as makeup and wardrobe, running on autopilot. I was the first to arrive in the green room, but I was far too hyped up to just sit still and wait. I paced the room from end to end, still thinking.
I wanted to try a relationship with Drew; that much I knew. A large part of me figured the best way to go about it was to just ask him out. It was straightforward, and if he rejected me, he rejected me and we could all go on with our lives as if nothing had happened. As nice as that scenario was, it had one major flaw: Wayne.
If Drew was still with Wayne, he’d reject me solely on the basis that he wouldn’t want to cheat. To solve that problem, Wayne should just break up with Drew, but Wayne wasn’t about to do that if he thought it would hurt Drew, and besides, Drew would really be rebounding then. He might still reject me, and if he didn’t, he’s still be thinking about Wayne. No, the only plausible option was to get him interested in me while he was still with Wayne. It was the only way I could be sure of his feelings.
According to Wayne, Drew already liked me, so I just had to get him to act on it. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to do that.
Just then the green room door swung open. I paused in my pacing and broke into a huge grin.
“Hey, Drew.”
Drew smiled in return. “Chip. Have you seen Wayne?”
“No, not yet.”
Drew was nodding slowly. He was looking straight at me, but something in his gaze told me he was a million miles away.
“So... did Wayne... did you two work everything out?” I asked. Drew didn’t appear to hear me, however. He was staring a point on my right shoulder and worrying his lower lip. “Drew?” When he still didn’t answer, I moved toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
He gave a start, his eyes finally clearing.
“Hey is everything okay?”
“What? Oh yeah. I’m fine. Just can’t find Wayne.”
“Then everything’s cool, right? You know we didn’t do anything the other night?”
“I know,” Drew replied, but I got the feeling he was drifting again. Despite his protests, he seemed awfully distracted.
I felt the urge to make him laugh, make him smile, but nothing was coming to me. I had the distinct impression that any joke would fall on deaf ears anyway. Perhaps it was better to help him work through whatever had him so bothered.
“Seriously, Drew, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me. I’m your friend. It’s what I’m here for.”
Drew looked at me-really looked at me, as though seeing me for the first time since entering the room.
“I’m sorry.” He offered me a small smile. “There’s really nothing wrong. It’s just... Wayne and I were in my office and he got a call from his wife. He left to talk to her, and I haven’t seen him since. I’m sure I’m just overreacting, but I’m still worried. It’s nothing, I’m sure.”
“If something was wrong, you’d be the first person Wayne would tell,” I assured him.
Drew smiled, and it warmed me to think that I was making him feel better.
“Hey, do you want to do something this week?” I asked on impulse, “Just you and me? We don’t hang out enough, and I had a lot of fun the other day.”
Drew was still smiling at me, but I could tell there was something going on in his head. He blinked, tilting his head to one side, considering me. “Yeah. That’d be cool. Let’s do something. Right now I’m going to go look for Wayne again, though. Let me know if you see him, okay?”
I promised to do just that and continued to smile as Drew left the room. The moment he was gone, however, I dropped the facade. I didn’t stand a chance with him. He was obviously too hung up on Wayne to see me as anything but a friend.
Needless to say, most of the energy drained from me with this realization. I fell onto one of the couches bonelessly, too sullen to stand much less pace. Soon after Ryan and Colin joined me. I tried to perk up, and though they didn’t say anything, I’m sure they could tell something was wrong. We chatted for a short while, and then Ryan and Colin took to their normal routine of splitting up the newspaper.
Only ten minutes before the taping was set to begin Drew came back in, followed by Wayne. I was surprised to see that Drew looked even worse then when he’d left me, but I was even more surprised to see that Wayne looked just the opposite. He was ecstatic; in fact, he was literally bouncing.
The oddity of the situation didn’t escape Ryan or Colin either. They set down their papers and exchanged a glance before turning their attention to the newcomers.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked, but the casualness of his tone didn’t hide the sudden tension behind the words.
Drew looked to Wayne. “Wayne has an announcement to make. Wayne?”
Wayne, still bouncing excitedly, nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s Mandie,” he told us, referring to his wife, “She’s pregnant!”
“Oh, wow,” Colin smiled.
“Congratulations!” Ryan jump out of his seat to give Wayne a hug.
The tension had fled the room in a matter of seconds. Colin stood as well to shake Wayne’s hand, and even I had to clap him on the back. Wayne was just so happy, as well he should be; it was fantastic news.
He started talking very quickly to both Ryan and Colin, the other fathers. They were eager to tell him all the great things about parenthood, to share stories of their own children. Having nothing to input myself, I hung back and listened. Perhaps it was because I didn’t have children of my own yet, but I seemed to be the only one to consider how this news was affecting Drew.
Like me, he was standing a little ways off from the group, watching them. I couldn’t read his expression. He must have sensed my eyes on him because he turned to me then, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I didn’t doubt that Drew was happy for Wayne, but he also had to consider what this would do to their relationship. Even if he knew the arrangement wasn’t permanent, such an abrupt end to the affair would certainly be unwelcome.
I moved to Drew’s side, laying a comforting hand on his back. “You okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah,” Drew shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I could list half a dozen reasons straight off the top of my head, but Drew was giving me a look that told me if I even named one he’d kill me. If he wanted to pretend, that was fine by me.
Suddenly a stage hand poked his head into the room. “Time to go,” he told us.
So it was that when we got on stage, Ryan, Colin and Wayne were all quite giddy. If Drew was a little less enthusiastic than usual, no one noticed or at least had the tact not to point it out. I found the other guys’ enthusiasm intoxicating, however, and once introductions were finished and the first game was called, I was bounding on stage with the rest of them.
Tonight’s first game was Let’s Make a Date. I was playing the bachelorette as usual. I watched the guys faces as Drew explained the game.
Wayne was still looking ecstatic, so it was hard to tell if he got an easy quirk or not. Colin, however, heaved a very heavy sigh when he read his card. I chuckled along with the audience at the sight of him. Anything that caused a fellow contestant consternation had to be fun. Ryan was smiling at his card, though. I couldn’t tell if it was sarcastic or from true amusement.
Drew told us to go, so I did. “Hello bachelors ” I called out, affecting a valley girl tone. They all replied rather normally. No clues there. “Bachelor number one... I, like, love movies. If you were gonna take me to a movie, what would we see?”
“What would we see....” Wayne mused. “Something romantic... like Lassie. You could be my doggy, baby...” He licked his lips sensually before beginning to bark.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I don’t know, baby, with all that pretty hair you could be a collie.”
“Okay....” I said slowly. I had to admit I was completely lost on this one. I was leaning toward some kind of dog lover, but that seemed a bit risque for ABC.
“Bachelor number two,” I moved on quickly, “I like to read the newspaper. You know, for the comics. What’s your favorite section of the newspaper?”
Colin was nodding along as I spoke, doing... something. He seemed to be putting on gloves and a shirt... or possibly a vest before rubbing his hands together as if preparing himself. “Well,” he said, getting up from his stool and circling Wayne. The crowd burst into laughter as his quirk was revealed. “Sometimes I read the obituaries to see if any of my coworkers-oh ” He stopped suddenly and dropped to his knees, cocking his head as if listening for something. He was on the side of Wayne’s stool, head practically in his lap. The crowd loved that. “We’ve got a live one ” he shouted, and the next instant his hands were at Wayne’s crotch, miming undoing his pants and then fiddling around. The audience was dying, and even I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
Wayne, keeping in character I’d assume, just smirked at Colin and said, “When the moonlight shines off your head, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Colin glared at him for a moment and then got to his feet. “Never mind,” he said. “It’s a dud.” He returned to his seat among gales of laughter. I think I had some idea of what he was doing, but I wasn’t ready to hazard a guess just yet. I decided to move on to Ryan.
“Bachelor number three....”
Ryan simply nodded in response. He was staring at Colin, which wasn’t unusual. Ryan and Colin often watched each other in this game. No, what was unusual was the absolute adoration on Ryan’s face.
I had to pause. I assumed it was just the quirk that had him looking that way, but with those two you could never tell. “Bachelor number three,” I said again, just as the audience started laughing. The laughter was followed by quite a few catcalls and a bit of clapping and I figured they’d just been shown Ryan’s quirk, and from their reaction, I was positive that it somehow involved Colin... and it was going to be good.
I think Colin was thinking along the same lines because he seemed to brace himself as Ryan continued to stare at him.
“Number three,” I said yet again, and Ryan started, finally turning away to face the camera.
“Yes?” he breathed.
“My perfect man is tall and dark and handsome. What do you like in a lover?”
“A lover...” Ryan mused, smiling and shooting Colin another glance. Colin frowned, leaning away ever so subtly, and the crowd cheered. “Well, I like my man to-I mean woman, of course, to be strong...” he closed his eyes, grinning lasciviously. “Strong, with a broad, hairy chest and eyes that you could just drown in.” He opened his eyes slowly, still smiling and turned completely in his seat so that he was facing Colin.
Colin was leaning even further away, returning Ryan’s stare fearfully. He seemed a bit lost, and I assumed his quirk didn’t prepare him to deal with such a reaction.
“And bald,” Ryan purred. “He-she has to be bald.”
I quirked an eyebrow at the camera. “You like bald women with hairy chests?” I asked.
“Women. Right. Yes,” Ryan replied. He looked Colin over with a smirk before turning back to face the audience.
“Right....” I said, stifling a laugh. “I’m not sure I’m your type.” I mimed flipping a lock of hair over my shoulder. “Bachelor number one...”
Wayne nodded in response, smiling sensually at the camera. “Yes, ma petite chien?”
I didn’t know what that meant, but a few people in the audience laughed, as well as Colin, and I got the impression that it wasn’t very flattering.
I frowned. “I don’t really like foreign stuff.”
Wayne’s eyes widened dramatically. “Forgive me ” he cried, leaping from his stool to land on his knees, hands raised as if begging. “I should be catering to your stupidity. If we go out, I’ll take you to one of those dumb chick flicks and then to get a burger and fries.”
“Uh....” I pulled a face, trying to appear as disgusted as possible. “I’m on a diet.”
“Ah, girl,” Wayne was smiling now, shaking his head as he climbed back on his stool. “You don’t have to do that. I like fat chicks.”
“Excuse me?” It was getting hard to stay disgusted. I still had no idea what Wayne was doing, but it was amusing as Hell.
“Bachelor number two,” I hurried on. Colin was quickly getting back in character, looking from side to side with a worried expression. “If you could be any dessert, what would your topping be?”
“This is no time for questions ” Colin cried. He jumped off his stool and knelt down next to Ryan’s. Similar to Wayne, he dove straight for the crotch, working furiously, face drawn into a scowl.
Ryan gave a low moan and I let my gaze wander to his face. He had his head thrown back, eyes shut and an expression of over-exaggerated arousal. Even Colin was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
“Crap ” Colin shouted suddenly. “She’s gonna blow!” He made to stand, but halfway through the moment ended up flinging himself backwards to the sound of an explosion. He stumbled and fell face forward onto the carpet. He didn’t move.
Amidst the laughter I could hear one voice loud and clear. I looked up to see Drew half bent over his desk, cheeks red as he giggled. It was great to see him enjoying himself, especially considering the kind of day he was having.
My attention was drawn back to the game as Ryan dropped off his stool, crawling on hands and knees toward Colin’s prone body.
“Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead,” he was muttering to himself. He managed to flip Colin over and lay his head on his chest, obviously looking for a heartbeat. “He’s alive!” Ryan shouted, smiling brightly and straightening. “He needs CPR!” And with that, he lowered his head-
-right over Colin’s crotch.
The crowd loved it; Drew was practically in tears, he was laughing so hard. Colin sat up immediately, his cheeks going pink with amused embarrassment. Ryan, however, just looked relieved. He stopped his “CPR” to wrap Colin in a tight hug, and then pulled back to cradle his cheeks between his palms and gave him a rather enthusiastic stage kiss.
Drew was so far gone that it took him a few tries before he was able to hit the buzzer.
“Okay, Chip,” he said between giggles as Colin and Ryan reclaimed their seats. “You want to take a guess?”
“Sure....” I leaned back to look at Wayne, cracking my knuckles. Wayne stared back, smirking slightly. “Wayne is... a smooth talking Frenchman who accidentally insults people?”
“Yeah, okay; close enough.”
“Colin,” I moved on immediately, as he was the one person I was sure of, “is a member of the bomb squad diffusing bombs in people’s pants.”
“Yes!” Drew cried, grinning broadly. “And Ryan?”
“Ryan...” I smiled at him, and Ryan smiled right back, looking as though he were fighting the urge to laugh. “...is...” I thought a moment. I had an obvious answer on the tip of my tongue, but it had to be more complicated than that. Not able to come up with anything more, I shrugged and guessed, “in love with Colin?”
“That’s right,” Drew smirked, “but what’s his quirk?” Everyone laughed at that, but the five of us on stage for a completely different reason. Drew shook his head, smiling and telling me that I was correct again and then waving us back to our seats. I was still smiling as I sat down. Ryan’s quirk had obviously been set up to cater to the fans, but I doubted it really tried his acting skills. “Actually,” Drew continued once we were all seated at the back of the stage, “it says ‘trying to hide the fact that he’s desperately in love with Colin,’ but I didn’t see much hiding going on.”
Ryan had been taking a sip of water, but now he put his glass down to wrap one arm around Colin’s shoulders. “Oh, there’s no denying our love,” he said to Drew. Drew just laughed, shaking his head and the crowd sounded their approval.
“Moving on quickly!” Drew said, shuddering. “The next game is Duet!”
The taping progressed rather uneventfully from there. About halfway through, however, during a game of Improbably Mission, I happened to look out into the crowd. I had been preoccupied with playing and watching the games before this, but my attention was starting to wander. It’s not easy to see out into the audience, what with the stage lights in your eyes, but I happened to be looking in exactly the right spot when I noticed two peopled waving at me. They looked familiar, but I had to squint before I could tell exactly who it was.
Greg and Brad sat halfway up the ‘ignored section,’ smiling down at me. I waved back, shaking my head amusedly and wondering just how often Greg found his way into the audience when not on stage. I had never noticed him before now, so this was possibly a new thing. Maybe he didn’t have a reason to watch before now. Last time it had been to keep an eye on Brad, but now I suspected he was researching for our plan.
I didn’t point them out to the other guys. After all, it wouldn’t help Greg if his subjects suspected something.
Soon it was time to do a few Drew Games. Wayne sat out from a Hoedown about clowns, and then I did as the others played Props. The next game it was Colin’s turn to sit out. We all stood in a vague line on stage as Drew went through all the coming back from commercial nonsense.
We were playing Foreign Film Dub with Ryan translating for Drew and Wayne translating for me. Drew called out to the audience for a language and we ended up getting Russian. When he asked for the title of the movie, however, I distinctly heard Brad shout “Monster in My Pants!” I think some of the other guys might have recognized his voice as well, because both Colin and Wayne turned to look curiously into the crowd. Drew didn’t pick up on it, though, and that was the title he chose.
Drew started out speaking gibberish as he mimed undressing to the audience’s delight.
“Finally we’re alone,” Ryan translated. “Let me just get out of this duck costume and then we can play Monopoly.”
Drew nodded along with the translation and winked at me suggestively.
It was my turn now, and I replied in my best imitation of Russian, sidling up to Drew seductively and running my fingertips down the length of his arm before putting both hands at my belt, as though preparing to remove my pants.
“If it’s up to me, we’ll be doing a lot more than playing Monopoly,” Wayne said.
I went as far as actually undoing my belt to whoops and catcalls from the audience as Wayne spoke. Drew spun away from me, lifting a hand to his head in distress, voice a desperate cry. He turned back and took my hands, looking earnestly into my eyes. I knew he was just playing, and yet my heart skipped a beat as we stared into each others’ eyes. Unbidden, memories of our kiss flashed through my mind. I found my gaze drifting to his lips as Ryan began his translation.
“But can’t you see our love can never be? The world will never accept our relationship, and it’s far too cold to get naked.”
Drew pulled away again, but I reached out for him, holding his arms as I spoke determinedly.
“Don’t let them rule our lives,” Wayne argued for me. “And before you make a decision, I must show you what’s in my pants.”
Both Drew and I had to stifle a laugh at that. There was a good chance this was never going to get to air if we continued in this direction, but I didn’t care. In fact I was counting on it. Very few in the audience were laughing now, but we didn’t let that deter us. Even if the scene wasn’t as funny as they’d hoped, it seemed to have captured their attention, and I know I was too caught up in what might happen to stop.
Drew went off on a long tirade, clutching at my shoulders in return, talking quickly, insistently. He must have gone on for a full minute, but Ryan’s translation was simply, “Oh? Let me see.”
I nodded and stepped back out of Drew’s grasp, hands returning to my pants. In one quick, decisive gesture, I mimed pulling them down. I looked down and shrieked.
“There’s a monster in my pants!” Wayne yelled.
Drew back stepped, horror plainly written across his face, but after only a few steps he paused, his eyes widening. He came forward again, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he began to speak.
“And what a monster it is,” Ryan translated. “What say you let me tame it?”
The audience was laughing again, but I wasn’t. Drew had placed his hands at my waist as Ryan spoke, pulling me against him.
I was finding it hard to breath as I looked into Drew’s eyes mere inches from my own. I tried my best to continue the game, but my “Russian” came out just above a whisper, barely loud enough for the microphone to pick up. I think Drew could tell my reaction wasn’t part of the game. He was watching me quite seriously, a speculative look on his face.
Wayne translated, saying exactly what was on my mind. “I think I love you.”
My shock at hearing my thoughts spoken aloud must have shone on my face, because I saw a sudden realization dawn on Drew’s. He smiled ever so slightly and leaned in to kiss me.
I met him halfway. He was probably going for a stage kiss, but I sure as Hell wasn’t. I had forgotten the audience, forgotten the other guys. My hands slid up Drew’s arms and across his shoulders to cup the back of his neck as his arms tightened around my waist. In no time we were kissing the way we had the other night, all passion and no thought.
Distantly I heard Colin sound the buzzer to end the game, but Drew wasn’t pulling away, and there was no way I was going to be the one to stop this.
It was Dan’s shout of “That’s enough!” that finally seemed to bring Drew back to his senses. He leaned back, breaking the kiss, cheeks flush and eyes glassy. It took him a moment to gather his with about him before he turned to the camera to give his little “We’ll be right back” spiel, but Dan stopped him almost immediately.
“Don’t bother,” he said, sounding a bit peeved. “We’re not using that.”
Luckily we were nearing the end of the taping. We did another Drew game, another where they had me sit out, and then the pickups and we were done.
I went immediately back to my dressing room as soon as we were finished. I was too lost in my own thoughts to even pretend to talk to any of the guys, and I really didn’t think I could face Drew just then. Once inside, I just stood there, breathing hard, leaning back against the door. I wanted to bang my head on it.
Fuck me. I was falling for Drew.
I suppose it shouldn’t have come as such a shock, but I don’t think I really grasped the depths of my feelings until I’d heard Wayne speak them aloud. I reasoned that it could just be a crush, but even that was more than I wanted to feel. Either way, Drew was still in love with Wayne; I was screwed.
A knock on the door wrenched me from my little pity party, and with a very deep sigh I asked, “Who is it?”
“Wayne!” came the enthusiastic reply.
Before I’d even had the chance to move, Wayne was pushing the door open, and I had to scoot out of the way to avoid being hit.
Wayne didn’t seem to notice. He was bouncing again. He grabbed me into a quick, tight hug, and then pulled back, holding me out at arms length and smiling brilliantly.
“That was awesome!” he exclaimed. “Now get your ass all prettied up. We’ve got plans to make.”
“Yeah, about that-“
Wayne scoffed, cutting me off. “Don’t tell me you want to back out? I saw that kiss. This is so happening.”
“Yeah, but-“
“No! No buts!” Wayne spun me around, giving me a playful shove. “Now get dressed. We’re going to the bar with Greg and Brad.”
I had actually started to heed Wayne’s orders, but now I paused, throwing him a confused look. “You know they’re here?”
“Of course I know,” Wayne laughed. “If you hadn’t run off so quickly, you would have seen them come on stage after the taping. Everyone knows they’re here.”
I started to get dressed. I could feel Wayne’s eyes on me.
“They told me they were going to help with the plan as well.” There was a degrading sort of amusement in his tone.
I turned to him sheepishly as I buttoned up my shirt. “It’s okay that I told them, isn’t it?”
He watched me for a moment with a lopsided smirk before it breached into a huge grin. “Hell, yeah. The more the merrier. Now hurry up.”
Now it was my turn to smile. “What about you? You still have to get changed.”
“That I do.” He nodded once, and then retreated to the door, but just as he was leaving he stopped and turned back to me. “No more talk about backing out, okay?”
I sighed. “Okay.”
To be honest, I still didn’t see how this was going to work, but it was obvious that nothing I said would dissuade Wayne. It was all he could talk about on the way to the bar, and Greg and Brad weren’t helping any. The three discussed one hair-brained scheme after another, everything from setting us up on a “blind date” to locking us in a broom closet together smeared with tuna fish oil.
We arrived at the bar before the rest of our group, and the conversation continued at a small table in the corner over a pitcher of beer. Try as I might, I just couldn’t contribute. Hell, I was having a hard time even paying attention. To Wayne, Greg and Brad this seemed little more than a game, but it was my heart they were playing with, trying to set up a relationship that I certainly wasn’t prepared to deal with and wasn’t even sure I wanted.
I had only been with one man before, but that was just a fling, just sex. With Drew it would be different, so much more. I had no idea how to go about it.
While the other guys were engrossed in figuring out my life for me, I kept my eyes on the door. So it was that I was the first to see Drew when he finally came in.
Colin entered first, and immediately began looking around for us. Ryan followed, half turned and speaking to someone behind him. That someone, of course, was Drew. He walked in, smiling as he responded to Ryan. He was dressed in a short sleeved, midnight blue button down, untucked over stylishly faded jeans. The dim lights glinted off the highlights in his hair and made it shimmer. As the three approached our table, the other guys finally noticed them and called out a greeting. Drew looked up, and I smiled at him, but Drew didn’t even look my way. He had automatically searched out Wayne, and when sitting down, took a seat next to him without thinking.
I tried not to let it hurt; this was exactly what I thought would happen, but Wayne had been so giddy that I couldn’t help but get my hopes up. Without a word I stood and left the table. I could hear Wayne calling after me, but I ignored him.
I sat down at the bar and ordered a bottle of tequila. It was a horrid drink, consumed solely to get absolutely plastered, and by my third shot I was well on my way.
Suddenly there was a presence on my left, but I didn’t bother looking up. With the size of the shadow he was casting, it could on be one person.
“Want some company?” Ryan asked.
I just shrugged. I was feeling toasty enough not to order him away immediately, but I wasn’t about to invite him into my problems either.
Ryan stayed. In fact, he asked the bartender for another shot glass and helped himself to my tequila. We sat in silence for a couple minutes, just taking shots before he spoke again.
“So what’s up?”
I shrugged again. “Did you know I’m getting a divorce?”
I could see him nod out of the corner of my eye. “Drew mentioned it, yeah. Are you okay?”
“With that? Yes. I’m actually kind of happy about it.”
“Then why did you leave the party to drink yourself into a stupor?”
I just shook my head. “Not much in a party mood.”
“I see.” Ryan reached for the bottle again, pouring himself another drink. He downed the shot and then leaned forward, staring at the wall of alcohol behind the bar. “Let’s play a game,” he said, staunchly not looking at me, even though he’d certainly gained my attention. “I’ll tell you a secret and then you tell me one.”
“Oh, no,” I shook my head and even started to get up; I may have been tipsy, but I sure as Hell wasn’t stupid. My tongue was loose and I was liable to say just about anything. He dropped a hand on my shoulder, though, keeping me in place.
“It’ll be fun,” he assured me, staring into my eyes now. “Look, I’ll start. I’m in love with Colin.”
“Well duh.” I’m sure I could have come up with something more intelligent had I cared enough to. “Everyone knows that.”
“But I’ve never said it before. Now you go.”
“Fine.” If he wanted to play that way, I would just give it right back. “I had sex with Wayne.”
Ryan frowned. “That doesn’t count. New one.”
“Doesn’t count?” I laughed. “Why not?”
“I knew that already.”
“And I knew how you felt about Colin.”
Ryan sighed, but he smiled at me sheepishly as he realized he’d fallen into his own trap. It was obvious he was looking to find out something in particular, and I was just about to ask what it was when Ryan spoke again.
“Well, here’s something you don’t know.” He breathed in deeply, averting his eyes at the same time to stare a hole in the floor. It seemed to take quite a bit of courage for him to say what he said next. “I’m thinking about leaving Pat for Colin.”
He wasn’t lying when he’d said I hadn’t known that. I hadn’t even suspected.
“Does Colin know?”
Ryan shook his head. He still couldn’t meet my eyes. “No. I haven’t said anything to anyone. I’m not sure I could actually go through with it... it’s just a thought.” He sat for a moment, just breathing. “Every time we’re together,” he continued, almost to himself now, “I spend so much time dreading the moment it’ll end. And I love Pat. I do. I just don’t want to be apart from him anymore.”
There was nothing I could say to that, so for a few minutes neither of us spoke. He didn’t have to tell me that, though, and the fact that he trusted me enough to do so really touched me. I had turned away, staring into my empty shot glass, but now I turned back and said, “What is it you want to know?”
Ryan blinked at me as though just remembering why he came over in the first place. “How do you feel about Drew?”
Well that wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, it was a question I was still asking myself. “I don’t know. I like him.”
Ryan shook his head and smiled. “Yeah, I like Drew, too, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to make out with the guy in front of a television audience. Seriously, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” I said again with absolute honesty. “He’s nice, he’s attractive, he’s funny, he’s a pretty good kisser... if he was a girl, I’d ask him out in a second. But he’s not. He’s a guy. He’s Drew.”
Ryan nodded. “I get that. It took me forever to act on how I felt for Colin, to even admit to it. But I didn’t have anyone I could talk to about it, and now I just regret taking so long to figure it all out.”
He turned away then to look out across the bar to where most of our friends still sat in the far corner. I followed his gaze and watched Colin as he laughed at something Wayne had just said. As we watched, Colin looked up and caught Ryan’s eyes. His cheeks were rosy from the alcohol, face happy and open. I could see the love in his eyes as he shared a smile with his lover. I wanted that.
I searched the table for Drew and finally found him, head bowed, deep in conversation with Greg.
“Greg told me about your plan,” Ryan said suddenly. “I want to help, but only if you’re serious.”
Drew was taking a sip of beer. Greg said something, and Drew smirked at him, his eyes alight with amusement. I thought about what Ryan said about taking so long to come to terms with his feelings and knew that I couldn’t wait ten years to figure it out for myself. Maybe a relationship wouldn’t work, and I was just setting myself up for failure, but I had to find out.
“I am,” I told him.
“Well then it’s settled,” Ryan declared, standing and clapping me on the back. “Let’s go get you a man.” We stood and started towards the others, but before we’d gotten very far, Ryan caught Colin’s eyes again and nodded him over. We were nearly to the table when he met us. Ryan leaned toward him under the guise of handing him the half empty tequila bottle and whispered, “Think you could get rid of Drew for ten minutes?”
Colin nodded. “I’ll do my best.” He took the bottle from Ryan and went straight to his task. It amazed me. Colin hadn’t questioned Ryan about the request, hadn’t even hesitated. He most likely knew what we were up to, but still, the trust they shared wasn’t something you often saw. I really hoped things would work out for them.
I have no idea what Colin said to Drew, but it successfully got him up and away from the table. Ryan and I took their vacated seats. The conversations already going on continued for a minute or so until we were all sure that Colin and Drew were out of ear shot, but then, as one, Brad, Greg and Wayne turned their attentions to us.
“Let’s make this quick,” Ryan said. “I don’t know how long Colin will be able to distract Drew. Any ideas?”
“I still think we should lock them in a room together,” Brad put in immediately.
“Cliched, but it has potential,” Ryan replied. “Anyone else?”
The conversation went on around me as though I weren’t even there, a fact which amused me more than anything. The whole situation was very surreal: having a group of your friends try and set you up with another man. It was like a scene out of some bad sitcom, but I was certainly grateful for them. I doubt I would have been able to go through with it without their support.
They came to a conclusion rather quickly, but I as I was busy in my own head, I hadn’t managed to catch their final decision. Just was I was turning to ask Ryan, however, Drew and Colin returned. We went back to the hotel soon after, and I somehow ended up in a car with Drew, so I never got a chance to find out just what the plan was or even when it was going to be executed.
It was nearing midnight by the time we made it back to the ninth floor, and for most of us it was well past our bedtimes. Ryan and Colin in particular seemed to be almost sleep walking as they stumbled their way to Colin’s room. Even I was yawning when I opened my door. It seemed just yesterday that I could stay up until three a.m. partying and then be up at 8 o’clock, ready to work or go to class. I sure as Hell didn’t consider myself old, but still, a three hour taping and then hours of drinking and the emotional turmoil of the day had really taken its toll on me.
My thoughts found themselves wandering to Wayne and Drew. Out of all of us, Wayne seemed to be the only one not tuckered out. Then again, he was the youngest. I did a little quick calculating and realized that there was a 14 year age difference between Drew and Wayne. Funny how it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Back in highschool anything more than a year meant you were worlds apart.
I was still wondering about that when there was a knock at the door. I didn’t think much of it; it was probably just one of the guys coming over to let me in on the plan.
“I’ll be right there!” I called out and quickly finished dressing for bed before jogging over to the door.
When I opened it, however, I found the very last person I’d have expected. He stood there, looking almost nervous, hands fidgeting at his waist. It took him a moment to meet my eyes, and when he did I found his unreadable.
“Can I come in?”
I nodded, stepping back. “Sure, Drew. What’s up?”
to be continued
9/11/05
Author: Clay
Pairings: Mainly Chip/Wayne and Chip/Drew, but there’s also Wayne/Drew, Ryan/Colin, Greg/Brad, and a mention of Greg/Ryan. Yes, my little Whose Line soap opera. Chip’s POV
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 over all, but most chapters are just R
Summary: “They had been friends who had taken to helping each other out with certain problems when they were away from their wives. Add feelings to the mix, however, and the situation would become far more complicated.”
Author’s notes: This is a little AU in the fact that Greg isn’t married and Chip is but has no children.
Drew stood in the doorway illuminated by the moon. A range of emotions flashed across his face in the matter of a few seconds: shock to anger to sadness to something I couldn’t quite identify, all ending up with him looking rather resigned.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Wayne and I were staring at him, immobile. We couldn’t seem to make ourselves do or say anything. With a deep sigh, Drew turned to go.
“Wait ” Wayne called out, leaping off the bed. “It’s not what you think.”
It was cliched, true, but cliches are cliches for a reason.
Drew spun around to face him, and I could see the anger back in his eyes. “So you didn’t come here to fuck Chip?”
“No-well, okay... it’s exactly what you think.” Wayne was facing away from me, but I could hear the smile in his voice as he attempted the rather lame joke. “But nothing happened,” he hurried on, “and nothing was going to.”
“Yeah right,” Drew huffed and took off down the hall.
Wayne started after him immediately. He disappeared from view, but was back a second later, poking his head through the door to tell me, “We’ll talk about this later.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Fine. Just go ” More than anything, at that moment I just wanted Drew to be okay. I needed to know we weren’t going to hurt him again.
I was upstairs, and Drew and Wayne had been sleeping on the first floor, so after Wayne pounded down the stairs, I couldn’t hear any more of the conversation. I did hear the front door open and close a few times and wondered what that meant, but despite my curiosity I found myself dozing again. Before I knew it, I was asleep.
I had no more dreams that night. I awoke with the late morning sun in my eyes and blinked drowsily up at the ceiling, noting with some amusement the stickers of unicorns and rainbows that dotted the ceiling. It was a few minutes before the extent of last night’s happenings came rushing back: Wayne, our talk, and then Drew bursting in. I sat up immediately. I had to find out what had happened.
A note on the bedside table caught my eye as I sprang out of bed. It was in Ryan’s handwriting and addressed to me. It said that he, Colin, Drew and Wayne had already left for the studio, and that I should make myself at home. There was food in the fridge, and I was welcome to it and to stay as long as I liked.
That answered one question at least: Drew had stayed the night. With so many comings and goings I hadn’t known what to think, but apparently Wayne had convinced him to stay. This put me quite at ease.
Now that I was more relaxed, I took my time leaving the bedroom. In the light of day, the collection of stuffed animals seemed far less foreboding. I remembered my insane little dream, feeling foolish. I dressed slowly, and just as I was finishing up, someone called my name.
I slung my overnight back over my shoulder and made my way to the stairs. Brad was waiting at the bottom.
“You finally up?”
The buttery scent of pancakes was wafting up the stairs. I smiled at Brad and nodded.
“Good. We made breakfast. Come join us.”
“Breakfast?” I heard Greg call from the kitchen. “More like lunch. It’s almost noon.”
“The first meal of the day is always breakfast, “ Brad countered as I followed him into the kitchen. Greg was seated at the island, knife and fork already in hand. A second and third plate were set out as well, so Brad and I each took up a stool and dug in.
I found I was far hungrier than I had imagined. I hadn’t had much to eat at the party, so my last meal had been nearly 24 hours prior. Even if that was the reason, the pancakes were still damn good.
“Anyone have any plans for the day?” Brad suddenly asked around a mouthful of dough and syrup.
Greg shrugged. He pushed the remains of his breakfast around his plate, obviously full. “I was thinking about doing some shopping.”
Brad frowned. “That’s boring. We should go bowling or something.”
“I’m up for anything... as long as it involves avoiding Drew and Wayne,” I put in.
That got a reaction. I knew it would. That’s what I was going for after all. I was aching to discuss last night’s revelations, and since Brad and Greg had already played confidante to my problems at the beginning, they seemed like a perfect choice now.
Greg lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? I take it something happened after lights out?”
I nodded. I had finished my pancakes and was eyeing Greg’s leftovers greedily. He passed them over and I accepted them while considering where to begin. “Wayne came to see me last night,” I said eventually, “to, well... you know. But we didn’t. Actually, we got to talking and he wants me to hook up with Drew.”
“Well, that’s...” Brad frowned. “That’s weird.”
“Mm.” Greg nodded slowly. He was watching me with narrowed eyes. “Why would he want that?”
I didn’t fault the guys for their confusion. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in the situation myself, I wouldn’t have understood it either.
“What it comes down to,” I said slowly, trying to recall the conversation, “is that he wants to break it off with Drew but doesn’t want Drew to get hurt.”
“So he wants to pawn him off on you?” Brad asked incredulously.
“It’s not like that,” I protested. “I think I might, ah, kind of like Drew... like that. And for some reason Wayne thinks Drew might feel the same way, but I don’t see it.”
Greg smirked. “The plot thickens. Interesting.” He leaned forward, chin propped up in one palm. “So why are you telling us?”
“Because....” Why was I telling them? “Because I don’t know if we should go through with it. And if we do, then how? It all seems so devious.”
“The best plans usually are,” Greg replied, still smiling. He straightened then, suddenly becoming business-like. “So, do you like Drew?”
“I don’t know ” I pushed my plate away, exasperated and suddenly no longer hungry. “We have fun together... and I liked kissing him... I... is that enough?”
“Well you’re not going to know until you give it a try,” Brad pointed out.
“But what if it doesn’t work out?”
Greg sighed, watching me curiously. “That’s the hard part. The real question is: is it worth the risk?”
That was what it came down to, and I had no idea how to answer. After all, this thing with Drew could be a passing fancy. Not to mention the fact that I was pretty much on the rebound, and if I did hook up with Drew, he would be, too. It wasn’t the best of circumstances to begin a relationship.
“I have no idea.”
Greg nodded. “Think about it. If you decided you want to go for it, we’ll back you up.”
“Actually,” Brad said, “I’m leaving on Monday, so I won’t be of much help. But,” he smiled, “if there’s anything I can do while I’m here, I’d be happy to help.”
“Right.” Greg jumped to his feet. “Enough of this. Let’s go bowling.”
So we did. The three of us left Ryan’s house soon after breakfast, making sure to clean up before we did. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and having fun. After bowling we returned to Greg’s room at the hotel to watch an absolutely horrid comedy, and while I definitely enjoyed myself, I often found myself thinking that I’d rather be with Drew-not that I didn’t like hanging with Brad and Greg. I think I just missed him. I missed the sound of his laughter and the way a whole room lit up when he smiled.
That’s it,” I cried suddenly, startling Brad and Greg.
“What’s it?” Brad asked. He looked from me to the television and back again.
“Not the movie. I’ve made a decision. I want to go through with it. I want to seduce Drew.”
Greg smirked at me. “You got it. Have a plan?”
“No... but I’ll think of something. Tomorrow night after the taping I’ll talk to Wayne and we’ll work it out together.”
When the next morning dawned, I was feeling absolutely fantastic. Everything seemed to be falling into place, and besides, I got to go play with my friends today.
I caught a cab to the studio, but the passing scenery barely registered. I was deep in thought throughout the ride as well as makeup and wardrobe, running on autopilot. I was the first to arrive in the green room, but I was far too hyped up to just sit still and wait. I paced the room from end to end, still thinking.
I wanted to try a relationship with Drew; that much I knew. A large part of me figured the best way to go about it was to just ask him out. It was straightforward, and if he rejected me, he rejected me and we could all go on with our lives as if nothing had happened. As nice as that scenario was, it had one major flaw: Wayne.
If Drew was still with Wayne, he’d reject me solely on the basis that he wouldn’t want to cheat. To solve that problem, Wayne should just break up with Drew, but Wayne wasn’t about to do that if he thought it would hurt Drew, and besides, Drew would really be rebounding then. He might still reject me, and if he didn’t, he’s still be thinking about Wayne. No, the only plausible option was to get him interested in me while he was still with Wayne. It was the only way I could be sure of his feelings.
According to Wayne, Drew already liked me, so I just had to get him to act on it. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to do that.
Just then the green room door swung open. I paused in my pacing and broke into a huge grin.
“Hey, Drew.”
Drew smiled in return. “Chip. Have you seen Wayne?”
“No, not yet.”
Drew was nodding slowly. He was looking straight at me, but something in his gaze told me he was a million miles away.
“So... did Wayne... did you two work everything out?” I asked. Drew didn’t appear to hear me, however. He was staring a point on my right shoulder and worrying his lower lip. “Drew?” When he still didn’t answer, I moved toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
He gave a start, his eyes finally clearing.
“Hey is everything okay?”
“What? Oh yeah. I’m fine. Just can’t find Wayne.”
“Then everything’s cool, right? You know we didn’t do anything the other night?”
“I know,” Drew replied, but I got the feeling he was drifting again. Despite his protests, he seemed awfully distracted.
I felt the urge to make him laugh, make him smile, but nothing was coming to me. I had the distinct impression that any joke would fall on deaf ears anyway. Perhaps it was better to help him work through whatever had him so bothered.
“Seriously, Drew, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me. I’m your friend. It’s what I’m here for.”
Drew looked at me-really looked at me, as though seeing me for the first time since entering the room.
“I’m sorry.” He offered me a small smile. “There’s really nothing wrong. It’s just... Wayne and I were in my office and he got a call from his wife. He left to talk to her, and I haven’t seen him since. I’m sure I’m just overreacting, but I’m still worried. It’s nothing, I’m sure.”
“If something was wrong, you’d be the first person Wayne would tell,” I assured him.
Drew smiled, and it warmed me to think that I was making him feel better.
“Hey, do you want to do something this week?” I asked on impulse, “Just you and me? We don’t hang out enough, and I had a lot of fun the other day.”
Drew was still smiling at me, but I could tell there was something going on in his head. He blinked, tilting his head to one side, considering me. “Yeah. That’d be cool. Let’s do something. Right now I’m going to go look for Wayne again, though. Let me know if you see him, okay?”
I promised to do just that and continued to smile as Drew left the room. The moment he was gone, however, I dropped the facade. I didn’t stand a chance with him. He was obviously too hung up on Wayne to see me as anything but a friend.
Needless to say, most of the energy drained from me with this realization. I fell onto one of the couches bonelessly, too sullen to stand much less pace. Soon after Ryan and Colin joined me. I tried to perk up, and though they didn’t say anything, I’m sure they could tell something was wrong. We chatted for a short while, and then Ryan and Colin took to their normal routine of splitting up the newspaper.
Only ten minutes before the taping was set to begin Drew came back in, followed by Wayne. I was surprised to see that Drew looked even worse then when he’d left me, but I was even more surprised to see that Wayne looked just the opposite. He was ecstatic; in fact, he was literally bouncing.
The oddity of the situation didn’t escape Ryan or Colin either. They set down their papers and exchanged a glance before turning their attention to the newcomers.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked, but the casualness of his tone didn’t hide the sudden tension behind the words.
Drew looked to Wayne. “Wayne has an announcement to make. Wayne?”
Wayne, still bouncing excitedly, nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s Mandie,” he told us, referring to his wife, “She’s pregnant!”
“Oh, wow,” Colin smiled.
“Congratulations!” Ryan jump out of his seat to give Wayne a hug.
The tension had fled the room in a matter of seconds. Colin stood as well to shake Wayne’s hand, and even I had to clap him on the back. Wayne was just so happy, as well he should be; it was fantastic news.
He started talking very quickly to both Ryan and Colin, the other fathers. They were eager to tell him all the great things about parenthood, to share stories of their own children. Having nothing to input myself, I hung back and listened. Perhaps it was because I didn’t have children of my own yet, but I seemed to be the only one to consider how this news was affecting Drew.
Like me, he was standing a little ways off from the group, watching them. I couldn’t read his expression. He must have sensed my eyes on him because he turned to me then, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I didn’t doubt that Drew was happy for Wayne, but he also had to consider what this would do to their relationship. Even if he knew the arrangement wasn’t permanent, such an abrupt end to the affair would certainly be unwelcome.
I moved to Drew’s side, laying a comforting hand on his back. “You okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah,” Drew shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I could list half a dozen reasons straight off the top of my head, but Drew was giving me a look that told me if I even named one he’d kill me. If he wanted to pretend, that was fine by me.
Suddenly a stage hand poked his head into the room. “Time to go,” he told us.
So it was that when we got on stage, Ryan, Colin and Wayne were all quite giddy. If Drew was a little less enthusiastic than usual, no one noticed or at least had the tact not to point it out. I found the other guys’ enthusiasm intoxicating, however, and once introductions were finished and the first game was called, I was bounding on stage with the rest of them.
Tonight’s first game was Let’s Make a Date. I was playing the bachelorette as usual. I watched the guys faces as Drew explained the game.
Wayne was still looking ecstatic, so it was hard to tell if he got an easy quirk or not. Colin, however, heaved a very heavy sigh when he read his card. I chuckled along with the audience at the sight of him. Anything that caused a fellow contestant consternation had to be fun. Ryan was smiling at his card, though. I couldn’t tell if it was sarcastic or from true amusement.
Drew told us to go, so I did. “Hello bachelors ” I called out, affecting a valley girl tone. They all replied rather normally. No clues there. “Bachelor number one... I, like, love movies. If you were gonna take me to a movie, what would we see?”
“What would we see....” Wayne mused. “Something romantic... like Lassie. You could be my doggy, baby...” He licked his lips sensually before beginning to bark.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I don’t know, baby, with all that pretty hair you could be a collie.”
“Okay....” I said slowly. I had to admit I was completely lost on this one. I was leaning toward some kind of dog lover, but that seemed a bit risque for ABC.
“Bachelor number two,” I moved on quickly, “I like to read the newspaper. You know, for the comics. What’s your favorite section of the newspaper?”
Colin was nodding along as I spoke, doing... something. He seemed to be putting on gloves and a shirt... or possibly a vest before rubbing his hands together as if preparing himself. “Well,” he said, getting up from his stool and circling Wayne. The crowd burst into laughter as his quirk was revealed. “Sometimes I read the obituaries to see if any of my coworkers-oh ” He stopped suddenly and dropped to his knees, cocking his head as if listening for something. He was on the side of Wayne’s stool, head practically in his lap. The crowd loved that. “We’ve got a live one ” he shouted, and the next instant his hands were at Wayne’s crotch, miming undoing his pants and then fiddling around. The audience was dying, and even I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
Wayne, keeping in character I’d assume, just smirked at Colin and said, “When the moonlight shines off your head, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Colin glared at him for a moment and then got to his feet. “Never mind,” he said. “It’s a dud.” He returned to his seat among gales of laughter. I think I had some idea of what he was doing, but I wasn’t ready to hazard a guess just yet. I decided to move on to Ryan.
“Bachelor number three....”
Ryan simply nodded in response. He was staring at Colin, which wasn’t unusual. Ryan and Colin often watched each other in this game. No, what was unusual was the absolute adoration on Ryan’s face.
I had to pause. I assumed it was just the quirk that had him looking that way, but with those two you could never tell. “Bachelor number three,” I said again, just as the audience started laughing. The laughter was followed by quite a few catcalls and a bit of clapping and I figured they’d just been shown Ryan’s quirk, and from their reaction, I was positive that it somehow involved Colin... and it was going to be good.
I think Colin was thinking along the same lines because he seemed to brace himself as Ryan continued to stare at him.
“Number three,” I said yet again, and Ryan started, finally turning away to face the camera.
“Yes?” he breathed.
“My perfect man is tall and dark and handsome. What do you like in a lover?”
“A lover...” Ryan mused, smiling and shooting Colin another glance. Colin frowned, leaning away ever so subtly, and the crowd cheered. “Well, I like my man to-I mean woman, of course, to be strong...” he closed his eyes, grinning lasciviously. “Strong, with a broad, hairy chest and eyes that you could just drown in.” He opened his eyes slowly, still smiling and turned completely in his seat so that he was facing Colin.
Colin was leaning even further away, returning Ryan’s stare fearfully. He seemed a bit lost, and I assumed his quirk didn’t prepare him to deal with such a reaction.
“And bald,” Ryan purred. “He-she has to be bald.”
I quirked an eyebrow at the camera. “You like bald women with hairy chests?” I asked.
“Women. Right. Yes,” Ryan replied. He looked Colin over with a smirk before turning back to face the audience.
“Right....” I said, stifling a laugh. “I’m not sure I’m your type.” I mimed flipping a lock of hair over my shoulder. “Bachelor number one...”
Wayne nodded in response, smiling sensually at the camera. “Yes, ma petite chien?”
I didn’t know what that meant, but a few people in the audience laughed, as well as Colin, and I got the impression that it wasn’t very flattering.
I frowned. “I don’t really like foreign stuff.”
Wayne’s eyes widened dramatically. “Forgive me ” he cried, leaping from his stool to land on his knees, hands raised as if begging. “I should be catering to your stupidity. If we go out, I’ll take you to one of those dumb chick flicks and then to get a burger and fries.”
“Uh....” I pulled a face, trying to appear as disgusted as possible. “I’m on a diet.”
“Ah, girl,” Wayne was smiling now, shaking his head as he climbed back on his stool. “You don’t have to do that. I like fat chicks.”
“Excuse me?” It was getting hard to stay disgusted. I still had no idea what Wayne was doing, but it was amusing as Hell.
“Bachelor number two,” I hurried on. Colin was quickly getting back in character, looking from side to side with a worried expression. “If you could be any dessert, what would your topping be?”
“This is no time for questions ” Colin cried. He jumped off his stool and knelt down next to Ryan’s. Similar to Wayne, he dove straight for the crotch, working furiously, face drawn into a scowl.
Ryan gave a low moan and I let my gaze wander to his face. He had his head thrown back, eyes shut and an expression of over-exaggerated arousal. Even Colin was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
“Crap ” Colin shouted suddenly. “She’s gonna blow!” He made to stand, but halfway through the moment ended up flinging himself backwards to the sound of an explosion. He stumbled and fell face forward onto the carpet. He didn’t move.
Amidst the laughter I could hear one voice loud and clear. I looked up to see Drew half bent over his desk, cheeks red as he giggled. It was great to see him enjoying himself, especially considering the kind of day he was having.
My attention was drawn back to the game as Ryan dropped off his stool, crawling on hands and knees toward Colin’s prone body.
“Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead,” he was muttering to himself. He managed to flip Colin over and lay his head on his chest, obviously looking for a heartbeat. “He’s alive!” Ryan shouted, smiling brightly and straightening. “He needs CPR!” And with that, he lowered his head-
-right over Colin’s crotch.
The crowd loved it; Drew was practically in tears, he was laughing so hard. Colin sat up immediately, his cheeks going pink with amused embarrassment. Ryan, however, just looked relieved. He stopped his “CPR” to wrap Colin in a tight hug, and then pulled back to cradle his cheeks between his palms and gave him a rather enthusiastic stage kiss.
Drew was so far gone that it took him a few tries before he was able to hit the buzzer.
“Okay, Chip,” he said between giggles as Colin and Ryan reclaimed their seats. “You want to take a guess?”
“Sure....” I leaned back to look at Wayne, cracking my knuckles. Wayne stared back, smirking slightly. “Wayne is... a smooth talking Frenchman who accidentally insults people?”
“Yeah, okay; close enough.”
“Colin,” I moved on immediately, as he was the one person I was sure of, “is a member of the bomb squad diffusing bombs in people’s pants.”
“Yes!” Drew cried, grinning broadly. “And Ryan?”
“Ryan...” I smiled at him, and Ryan smiled right back, looking as though he were fighting the urge to laugh. “...is...” I thought a moment. I had an obvious answer on the tip of my tongue, but it had to be more complicated than that. Not able to come up with anything more, I shrugged and guessed, “in love with Colin?”
“That’s right,” Drew smirked, “but what’s his quirk?” Everyone laughed at that, but the five of us on stage for a completely different reason. Drew shook his head, smiling and telling me that I was correct again and then waving us back to our seats. I was still smiling as I sat down. Ryan’s quirk had obviously been set up to cater to the fans, but I doubted it really tried his acting skills. “Actually,” Drew continued once we were all seated at the back of the stage, “it says ‘trying to hide the fact that he’s desperately in love with Colin,’ but I didn’t see much hiding going on.”
Ryan had been taking a sip of water, but now he put his glass down to wrap one arm around Colin’s shoulders. “Oh, there’s no denying our love,” he said to Drew. Drew just laughed, shaking his head and the crowd sounded their approval.
“Moving on quickly!” Drew said, shuddering. “The next game is Duet!”
The taping progressed rather uneventfully from there. About halfway through, however, during a game of Improbably Mission, I happened to look out into the crowd. I had been preoccupied with playing and watching the games before this, but my attention was starting to wander. It’s not easy to see out into the audience, what with the stage lights in your eyes, but I happened to be looking in exactly the right spot when I noticed two peopled waving at me. They looked familiar, but I had to squint before I could tell exactly who it was.
Greg and Brad sat halfway up the ‘ignored section,’ smiling down at me. I waved back, shaking my head amusedly and wondering just how often Greg found his way into the audience when not on stage. I had never noticed him before now, so this was possibly a new thing. Maybe he didn’t have a reason to watch before now. Last time it had been to keep an eye on Brad, but now I suspected he was researching for our plan.
I didn’t point them out to the other guys. After all, it wouldn’t help Greg if his subjects suspected something.
Soon it was time to do a few Drew Games. Wayne sat out from a Hoedown about clowns, and then I did as the others played Props. The next game it was Colin’s turn to sit out. We all stood in a vague line on stage as Drew went through all the coming back from commercial nonsense.
We were playing Foreign Film Dub with Ryan translating for Drew and Wayne translating for me. Drew called out to the audience for a language and we ended up getting Russian. When he asked for the title of the movie, however, I distinctly heard Brad shout “Monster in My Pants!” I think some of the other guys might have recognized his voice as well, because both Colin and Wayne turned to look curiously into the crowd. Drew didn’t pick up on it, though, and that was the title he chose.
Drew started out speaking gibberish as he mimed undressing to the audience’s delight.
“Finally we’re alone,” Ryan translated. “Let me just get out of this duck costume and then we can play Monopoly.”
Drew nodded along with the translation and winked at me suggestively.
It was my turn now, and I replied in my best imitation of Russian, sidling up to Drew seductively and running my fingertips down the length of his arm before putting both hands at my belt, as though preparing to remove my pants.
“If it’s up to me, we’ll be doing a lot more than playing Monopoly,” Wayne said.
I went as far as actually undoing my belt to whoops and catcalls from the audience as Wayne spoke. Drew spun away from me, lifting a hand to his head in distress, voice a desperate cry. He turned back and took my hands, looking earnestly into my eyes. I knew he was just playing, and yet my heart skipped a beat as we stared into each others’ eyes. Unbidden, memories of our kiss flashed through my mind. I found my gaze drifting to his lips as Ryan began his translation.
“But can’t you see our love can never be? The world will never accept our relationship, and it’s far too cold to get naked.”
Drew pulled away again, but I reached out for him, holding his arms as I spoke determinedly.
“Don’t let them rule our lives,” Wayne argued for me. “And before you make a decision, I must show you what’s in my pants.”
Both Drew and I had to stifle a laugh at that. There was a good chance this was never going to get to air if we continued in this direction, but I didn’t care. In fact I was counting on it. Very few in the audience were laughing now, but we didn’t let that deter us. Even if the scene wasn’t as funny as they’d hoped, it seemed to have captured their attention, and I know I was too caught up in what might happen to stop.
Drew went off on a long tirade, clutching at my shoulders in return, talking quickly, insistently. He must have gone on for a full minute, but Ryan’s translation was simply, “Oh? Let me see.”
I nodded and stepped back out of Drew’s grasp, hands returning to my pants. In one quick, decisive gesture, I mimed pulling them down. I looked down and shrieked.
“There’s a monster in my pants!” Wayne yelled.
Drew back stepped, horror plainly written across his face, but after only a few steps he paused, his eyes widening. He came forward again, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he began to speak.
“And what a monster it is,” Ryan translated. “What say you let me tame it?”
The audience was laughing again, but I wasn’t. Drew had placed his hands at my waist as Ryan spoke, pulling me against him.
I was finding it hard to breath as I looked into Drew’s eyes mere inches from my own. I tried my best to continue the game, but my “Russian” came out just above a whisper, barely loud enough for the microphone to pick up. I think Drew could tell my reaction wasn’t part of the game. He was watching me quite seriously, a speculative look on his face.
Wayne translated, saying exactly what was on my mind. “I think I love you.”
My shock at hearing my thoughts spoken aloud must have shone on my face, because I saw a sudden realization dawn on Drew’s. He smiled ever so slightly and leaned in to kiss me.
I met him halfway. He was probably going for a stage kiss, but I sure as Hell wasn’t. I had forgotten the audience, forgotten the other guys. My hands slid up Drew’s arms and across his shoulders to cup the back of his neck as his arms tightened around my waist. In no time we were kissing the way we had the other night, all passion and no thought.
Distantly I heard Colin sound the buzzer to end the game, but Drew wasn’t pulling away, and there was no way I was going to be the one to stop this.
It was Dan’s shout of “That’s enough!” that finally seemed to bring Drew back to his senses. He leaned back, breaking the kiss, cheeks flush and eyes glassy. It took him a moment to gather his with about him before he turned to the camera to give his little “We’ll be right back” spiel, but Dan stopped him almost immediately.
“Don’t bother,” he said, sounding a bit peeved. “We’re not using that.”
Luckily we were nearing the end of the taping. We did another Drew game, another where they had me sit out, and then the pickups and we were done.
I went immediately back to my dressing room as soon as we were finished. I was too lost in my own thoughts to even pretend to talk to any of the guys, and I really didn’t think I could face Drew just then. Once inside, I just stood there, breathing hard, leaning back against the door. I wanted to bang my head on it.
Fuck me. I was falling for Drew.
I suppose it shouldn’t have come as such a shock, but I don’t think I really grasped the depths of my feelings until I’d heard Wayne speak them aloud. I reasoned that it could just be a crush, but even that was more than I wanted to feel. Either way, Drew was still in love with Wayne; I was screwed.
A knock on the door wrenched me from my little pity party, and with a very deep sigh I asked, “Who is it?”
“Wayne!” came the enthusiastic reply.
Before I’d even had the chance to move, Wayne was pushing the door open, and I had to scoot out of the way to avoid being hit.
Wayne didn’t seem to notice. He was bouncing again. He grabbed me into a quick, tight hug, and then pulled back, holding me out at arms length and smiling brilliantly.
“That was awesome!” he exclaimed. “Now get your ass all prettied up. We’ve got plans to make.”
“Yeah, about that-“
Wayne scoffed, cutting me off. “Don’t tell me you want to back out? I saw that kiss. This is so happening.”
“Yeah, but-“
“No! No buts!” Wayne spun me around, giving me a playful shove. “Now get dressed. We’re going to the bar with Greg and Brad.”
I had actually started to heed Wayne’s orders, but now I paused, throwing him a confused look. “You know they’re here?”
“Of course I know,” Wayne laughed. “If you hadn’t run off so quickly, you would have seen them come on stage after the taping. Everyone knows they’re here.”
I started to get dressed. I could feel Wayne’s eyes on me.
“They told me they were going to help with the plan as well.” There was a degrading sort of amusement in his tone.
I turned to him sheepishly as I buttoned up my shirt. “It’s okay that I told them, isn’t it?”
He watched me for a moment with a lopsided smirk before it breached into a huge grin. “Hell, yeah. The more the merrier. Now hurry up.”
Now it was my turn to smile. “What about you? You still have to get changed.”
“That I do.” He nodded once, and then retreated to the door, but just as he was leaving he stopped and turned back to me. “No more talk about backing out, okay?”
I sighed. “Okay.”
To be honest, I still didn’t see how this was going to work, but it was obvious that nothing I said would dissuade Wayne. It was all he could talk about on the way to the bar, and Greg and Brad weren’t helping any. The three discussed one hair-brained scheme after another, everything from setting us up on a “blind date” to locking us in a broom closet together smeared with tuna fish oil.
We arrived at the bar before the rest of our group, and the conversation continued at a small table in the corner over a pitcher of beer. Try as I might, I just couldn’t contribute. Hell, I was having a hard time even paying attention. To Wayne, Greg and Brad this seemed little more than a game, but it was my heart they were playing with, trying to set up a relationship that I certainly wasn’t prepared to deal with and wasn’t even sure I wanted.
I had only been with one man before, but that was just a fling, just sex. With Drew it would be different, so much more. I had no idea how to go about it.
While the other guys were engrossed in figuring out my life for me, I kept my eyes on the door. So it was that I was the first to see Drew when he finally came in.
Colin entered first, and immediately began looking around for us. Ryan followed, half turned and speaking to someone behind him. That someone, of course, was Drew. He walked in, smiling as he responded to Ryan. He was dressed in a short sleeved, midnight blue button down, untucked over stylishly faded jeans. The dim lights glinted off the highlights in his hair and made it shimmer. As the three approached our table, the other guys finally noticed them and called out a greeting. Drew looked up, and I smiled at him, but Drew didn’t even look my way. He had automatically searched out Wayne, and when sitting down, took a seat next to him without thinking.
I tried not to let it hurt; this was exactly what I thought would happen, but Wayne had been so giddy that I couldn’t help but get my hopes up. Without a word I stood and left the table. I could hear Wayne calling after me, but I ignored him.
I sat down at the bar and ordered a bottle of tequila. It was a horrid drink, consumed solely to get absolutely plastered, and by my third shot I was well on my way.
Suddenly there was a presence on my left, but I didn’t bother looking up. With the size of the shadow he was casting, it could on be one person.
“Want some company?” Ryan asked.
I just shrugged. I was feeling toasty enough not to order him away immediately, but I wasn’t about to invite him into my problems either.
Ryan stayed. In fact, he asked the bartender for another shot glass and helped himself to my tequila. We sat in silence for a couple minutes, just taking shots before he spoke again.
“So what’s up?”
I shrugged again. “Did you know I’m getting a divorce?”
I could see him nod out of the corner of my eye. “Drew mentioned it, yeah. Are you okay?”
“With that? Yes. I’m actually kind of happy about it.”
“Then why did you leave the party to drink yourself into a stupor?”
I just shook my head. “Not much in a party mood.”
“I see.” Ryan reached for the bottle again, pouring himself another drink. He downed the shot and then leaned forward, staring at the wall of alcohol behind the bar. “Let’s play a game,” he said, staunchly not looking at me, even though he’d certainly gained my attention. “I’ll tell you a secret and then you tell me one.”
“Oh, no,” I shook my head and even started to get up; I may have been tipsy, but I sure as Hell wasn’t stupid. My tongue was loose and I was liable to say just about anything. He dropped a hand on my shoulder, though, keeping me in place.
“It’ll be fun,” he assured me, staring into my eyes now. “Look, I’ll start. I’m in love with Colin.”
“Well duh.” I’m sure I could have come up with something more intelligent had I cared enough to. “Everyone knows that.”
“But I’ve never said it before. Now you go.”
“Fine.” If he wanted to play that way, I would just give it right back. “I had sex with Wayne.”
Ryan frowned. “That doesn’t count. New one.”
“Doesn’t count?” I laughed. “Why not?”
“I knew that already.”
“And I knew how you felt about Colin.”
Ryan sighed, but he smiled at me sheepishly as he realized he’d fallen into his own trap. It was obvious he was looking to find out something in particular, and I was just about to ask what it was when Ryan spoke again.
“Well, here’s something you don’t know.” He breathed in deeply, averting his eyes at the same time to stare a hole in the floor. It seemed to take quite a bit of courage for him to say what he said next. “I’m thinking about leaving Pat for Colin.”
He wasn’t lying when he’d said I hadn’t known that. I hadn’t even suspected.
“Does Colin know?”
Ryan shook his head. He still couldn’t meet my eyes. “No. I haven’t said anything to anyone. I’m not sure I could actually go through with it... it’s just a thought.” He sat for a moment, just breathing. “Every time we’re together,” he continued, almost to himself now, “I spend so much time dreading the moment it’ll end. And I love Pat. I do. I just don’t want to be apart from him anymore.”
There was nothing I could say to that, so for a few minutes neither of us spoke. He didn’t have to tell me that, though, and the fact that he trusted me enough to do so really touched me. I had turned away, staring into my empty shot glass, but now I turned back and said, “What is it you want to know?”
Ryan blinked at me as though just remembering why he came over in the first place. “How do you feel about Drew?”
Well that wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, it was a question I was still asking myself. “I don’t know. I like him.”
Ryan shook his head and smiled. “Yeah, I like Drew, too, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to make out with the guy in front of a television audience. Seriously, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” I said again with absolute honesty. “He’s nice, he’s attractive, he’s funny, he’s a pretty good kisser... if he was a girl, I’d ask him out in a second. But he’s not. He’s a guy. He’s Drew.”
Ryan nodded. “I get that. It took me forever to act on how I felt for Colin, to even admit to it. But I didn’t have anyone I could talk to about it, and now I just regret taking so long to figure it all out.”
He turned away then to look out across the bar to where most of our friends still sat in the far corner. I followed his gaze and watched Colin as he laughed at something Wayne had just said. As we watched, Colin looked up and caught Ryan’s eyes. His cheeks were rosy from the alcohol, face happy and open. I could see the love in his eyes as he shared a smile with his lover. I wanted that.
I searched the table for Drew and finally found him, head bowed, deep in conversation with Greg.
“Greg told me about your plan,” Ryan said suddenly. “I want to help, but only if you’re serious.”
Drew was taking a sip of beer. Greg said something, and Drew smirked at him, his eyes alight with amusement. I thought about what Ryan said about taking so long to come to terms with his feelings and knew that I couldn’t wait ten years to figure it out for myself. Maybe a relationship wouldn’t work, and I was just setting myself up for failure, but I had to find out.
“I am,” I told him.
“Well then it’s settled,” Ryan declared, standing and clapping me on the back. “Let’s go get you a man.” We stood and started towards the others, but before we’d gotten very far, Ryan caught Colin’s eyes again and nodded him over. We were nearly to the table when he met us. Ryan leaned toward him under the guise of handing him the half empty tequila bottle and whispered, “Think you could get rid of Drew for ten minutes?”
Colin nodded. “I’ll do my best.” He took the bottle from Ryan and went straight to his task. It amazed me. Colin hadn’t questioned Ryan about the request, hadn’t even hesitated. He most likely knew what we were up to, but still, the trust they shared wasn’t something you often saw. I really hoped things would work out for them.
I have no idea what Colin said to Drew, but it successfully got him up and away from the table. Ryan and I took their vacated seats. The conversations already going on continued for a minute or so until we were all sure that Colin and Drew were out of ear shot, but then, as one, Brad, Greg and Wayne turned their attentions to us.
“Let’s make this quick,” Ryan said. “I don’t know how long Colin will be able to distract Drew. Any ideas?”
“I still think we should lock them in a room together,” Brad put in immediately.
“Cliched, but it has potential,” Ryan replied. “Anyone else?”
The conversation went on around me as though I weren’t even there, a fact which amused me more than anything. The whole situation was very surreal: having a group of your friends try and set you up with another man. It was like a scene out of some bad sitcom, but I was certainly grateful for them. I doubt I would have been able to go through with it without their support.
They came to a conclusion rather quickly, but I as I was busy in my own head, I hadn’t managed to catch their final decision. Just was I was turning to ask Ryan, however, Drew and Colin returned. We went back to the hotel soon after, and I somehow ended up in a car with Drew, so I never got a chance to find out just what the plan was or even when it was going to be executed.
It was nearing midnight by the time we made it back to the ninth floor, and for most of us it was well past our bedtimes. Ryan and Colin in particular seemed to be almost sleep walking as they stumbled their way to Colin’s room. Even I was yawning when I opened my door. It seemed just yesterday that I could stay up until three a.m. partying and then be up at 8 o’clock, ready to work or go to class. I sure as Hell didn’t consider myself old, but still, a three hour taping and then hours of drinking and the emotional turmoil of the day had really taken its toll on me.
My thoughts found themselves wandering to Wayne and Drew. Out of all of us, Wayne seemed to be the only one not tuckered out. Then again, he was the youngest. I did a little quick calculating and realized that there was a 14 year age difference between Drew and Wayne. Funny how it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Back in highschool anything more than a year meant you were worlds apart.
I was still wondering about that when there was a knock at the door. I didn’t think much of it; it was probably just one of the guys coming over to let me in on the plan.
“I’ll be right there!” I called out and quickly finished dressing for bed before jogging over to the door.
When I opened it, however, I found the very last person I’d have expected. He stood there, looking almost nervous, hands fidgeting at his waist. It took him a moment to meet my eyes, and when he did I found his unreadable.
“Can I come in?”
I nodded, stepping back. “Sure, Drew. What’s up?”
to be continued
9/11/05